For the hydrological modeling of forested watersheds, the understanding of the forest hydrodynamic is essential. This study focusses on the hydrology of a Belgian forested plot with high stoniness and ... [more ▼]

For the hydrological modeling of forested watersheds, the understanding of the forest hydrodynamic is essential. This study focusses on the hydrology of a Belgian forested plot with high stoniness and steep slope. The soil water content is monitored at several positions on the toposequence and at different depth. During rain events, peak in soil water content are observed in different depth depending on the position along the toposequence. [less ▲]

This paper proposes a quantitative and qualitative corpus-based analysis of the use of metaphors in political discourse from the original perspective of citizen discourse. Our data were collected from ... [more ▼]

This paper proposes a quantitative and qualitative corpus-based analysis of the use of metaphors in political discourse from the original perspective of citizen discourse. Our data were collected from focus group discussions respectively held in the French-speaking and Dutch-speaking parts of Belgium, which tackled the citizens’ perceptions of Belgian federalism. Our findings suggest that citizens do produce metaphors when talking about complex political processes and that these metaphors reveal different political visions. This research also suggests differences in saliency of the source domains in terms of which citizens make sense of Belgian federalism. In this regard, the family domain, and more especially the metaphor BELGIAN FEDERALISM IS A LOVE RELATIONSHIP appears to function as an important conceptual reference point for the citizens’ understanding of the political relations in the Belgian context. [less ▲]

in Canettieri, Paolo; Proto, Teresa; Valenti, Gianluca (Eds.) Text and Tune. On the Association of Music and Lyrics in Sung Verse. Proceedings of the International Conference hosted in Rome the 23th-25th of February 2012 (in press)

A new indirect quadrangular mesh generation algorithm which relies on sequential decision-making techniques to search for optimal triangle recombinations is presented. In contrast to the state-of-art ... [more ▼]

A new indirect quadrangular mesh generation algorithm which relies on sequential decision-making techniques to search for optimal triangle recombinations is presented. In contrast to the state-of-art Blossom-quad algorithm, this new algorithm is a good candidate for addressing the 3D problem of recombining tetrahedra into hexahedra. [less ▲]

Of all the royal families of ancient or modern fame, few are as iconic as the eighteenth dynasty of pharaohs of the New Kingdom of Egypt, whose opulence and deeds we are still familiar to nearly 3,500 ... [more ▼]

Of all the royal families of ancient or modern fame, few are as iconic as the eighteenth dynasty of pharaohs of the New Kingdom of Egypt, whose opulence and deeds we are still familiar to nearly 3,500 years after their time. Tenth pharaoh of this dynasty and father of Tutankhamun, Akhenaten (Amenhotep/Amenhotep IV) still fascinates Egyptologists and history lovers through the many questions surrounding his atypical rule. One of the most striking aspects of the so-called Amarna period concerns the representations of the pharaoh himself, very confusing compared to the traditional iconography of the New Kingdom. These intriguing portraits of Pharaoh raised a whole lot of medical assumptions, more or less substantiated. We review here the main theories developed throughout history. [less ▲]

Our contribution shows that it is possible to conduct a study about psychopathy and perverse personality from the principle of adaptation. We note a social ‘‘hyperadaptation’’ of the pervert. But we have ... [more ▼]

Our contribution shows that it is possible to conduct a study about psychopathy and perverse personality from the principle of adaptation. We note a social ‘‘hyperadaptation’’ of the pervert. But we have to note that there are moments of mismatch and maladjustment. These ‘‘perverse moments’’ are very important to be observed and regarded as a pathognomonic symptomatology. The specificity of the perverse functioning should be viewed as a continuum of adaptation along which an individual may pass from ‘‘hyperadaptation’’ on the one hand, to moments of failures and mis-adapting on the other hand. Then, we propose a comparison between the binswangerian conception of mania and the psychopathic functioning. The maniac has a fundamental crisis of the ‘‘ego’’, which the psychopath does not have. A second finding of our investigations concerns emotions and the dimension of the adaptive psychopathic disorder. The last point we discuss is about the concepts of empathy and sympathy. Finally, a significant part of this paper is to propose a differentiation concerning adaptive behaviour: one is more social (the pervert); the other is more solitary (the psychopath). [less ▲]

The impact of pubertal development on the psychological and social functioning of the teenager arouses a particular interest; the most recent research shows the existence of complex relationships between ... [more ▼]

The impact of pubertal development on the psychological and social functioning of the teenager arouses a particular interest; the most recent research shows the existence of complex relationships between pubertal development and the manifestation of internalized and externalized disorders. Two predominant hypothesis are used for explain influence of pubertal timing on problem behaviors : the maturational deviance theory and the stage termination (early timing) theory. The deviance theory claims that the borderline or abnormal pubertal timing, whether early or late, causes difficulties for adolescent adaptation. The early timing theory suggests that early pubertal timing and the consequent early physical maturation put adolescents at greater risk of adjustment problems because early pubertal maturation interferes with normal progression through the developmental tasks of adolescence. Our study is interested specifically in the links between delinquency during adolescence and pubertal maturation in a population of 141 boys aged between 12 and 18. We measured the pubertal variable starting from the perceived pubertal timing (PPT), which evaluates the teenagers' perception of their pubertal maturation, compared with that of their peers, to understand its impact on various dimensions of the functioning of teenagers: the self-perception (scale of Harter), aggressiveness (scale of Buss and Perry), association with peers and self-reported delinquency (attacks on property and individuals). We began with univariate analyses in order to determine the variables associated with early or late pubertal timing through comparison of scores obtained in those subjects with reference to average maturers. Subsequently, multivariate analyses were used in an attempt to sort out which among the studied factors could be predictor or a determinant of delinquency in relation to pubertal timing. Therefore, stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed. Statistical analyses were run with the SAS software, version 9.1.Our results support the thesis of precocity, the teenagers with an advanced PPT present scores of delinquency and aggressiveness significantly higher than teenagers with a standard PPT. However, the sub-group of teenagers with delayed PPT present raw scores of self-revealed delinquency which are higher than those of teenagers with a standard PPT. These teenagers can be characterized by a significantly higher hostility than the teenagers with a standard PPT. This cognitive dimension of aggressiveness, as evaluated by Buss and Perry, characterizes the functioning of the teenagers with the delayed PPT, who also present poorer self-esteem and dissatisfaction with their physical appearance. On the basis of this assessment, an analysis of multiple regression within each type of PPT aimed at identifying the variables likely to explain the delinquency of teenagers according to their PPT. The results show that the physical factor of aggressiveness is common to the three types of PPT. It is associated with the affiliation with delinquent peers for those teenagers with advanced and normal PPT, whereas for those teenagers with delayed PPT, it interacts with the factor of hostility, which is specific to them. Association with delinquent peers recognized as a major risk factor and predictive for the self-revealed delinquency of teenagers in general does not intervene for these boys who perceive their pubertal development late, compared to the others. The delinquency of teenagers with a delayed PPT cannot be explained by the factors that are considered in the general population, their social functioning and the socialization of these teenagers with delayed puberty is different from that of the other teenagers, as is their implication in delinquency, which is not explained by a kind of socialization with delinquent peers. These results confirm the importance of integrating the puberty variable into research on delinquency, but also at the level of intervention. [less ▲]